Bottle closure device



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BOTTLE CLOSURE DEVICE Filed April 19, 1927 Patented Aug. 13, 1929.

lUNITED sTATEs JULIUS '.ERHART,

or MODLING, NEAR VIENNA,

HEHLE, or VIENNA, AUSTRIA.

FRITZ LEMBERGER AND ANTON i BOTTLE CLOS'URE DEVICE.

Application le. April 19, 1927,

. Our invention relates to capl closures for bottles and the like of thetype comprising a disk of pulp board or paper or other'suitablelmaterial, which is adapted to be forced into the interior of the bottleneck to fit therein and to form an eective closure and it has for itsobject to provide a seal or closure of the kind mentioned which preventsrepeated use of the disk and which when once removed or damaged will notallow reinsertion orr restoration in such a manner that the sealing ofthe bottle will have lan uninjured appearance.,

We intend to lemploy a seal or closure of this kind especially inconnection with milk .bottles as it is of special importance when milkisfsuppliedto town districts by means of a large number of bottles'whichhave been sealed in the dairies to prevent persons engaged in thedistributing service or the retail dealers to open the same and topartlyevacuate `the bottles or to fill them partly with other material.To attain the object of this invention the seal or closure consists of anumber of separate componentswhich fit each other exactly,

so as to form a circular composite disk when assembled. It it is triedto remove the seal or closure the several separate components formingthe circular composite disk will come apart and the seal or closure willbe destroyed and cannotbe restored by reassembling the components andreinserting them into the bottle. A number of cap closures for bottleshave already been proposed in which some part has been weakened so thatthe disk will break at this predetermined place or in which some part iscut out and covered by another material to allow introduction of thenger tip in order to remove the disk. Caps of this kind donot howeveract as a safety device as they always can be removed from themargin andI reinserted in such a manner vthat the uninjured appearance ispreserved and this c an only be prevented by providing a specialconstruction of the bottle neck, which must in this case hold down thedisk by a locking ledge. The object of this invention is to provide acap acting as a safety device under all conditions and within bottles ofvarious kinds with no specially formed neck, such `broken or torn andSerial No. 184,872, and in Austria April 23, 1926.

object being accomplished by a uniform and coherent cap closure but anumber of separate component disks of such a shape as to it snugly andto complete each other so as to form a complete sealing disk within thebottle neck, which can however not be withdrawn as a whole when onceinserted. Preferably the separate component disks are so shaped that theseparating or dividing lines .between thecomponent disks run from themargin towards the center Vso that the margin is subdivided, thuseliminating every possibility of lifting the cap closure from the marginby an appropriate tool without destroying the composite sealing disk, sothat the components come' apart.

A preferred form consists in a central disk with radially extended armsbetween which the other components' preferably of ysector shape are tobe inserted.

In order to allow convenient handling of the composite disks consistingof separate components and to prevent any reassembling having theappearance of an uninjured seal and to allow sealing by the usualsealingy machinesthel components may be superficially and slightly heldin contact with each other by any appropriate means capable of breakingunder a very slight strain, such as asmall layer of varnish applied totheir surface or by glueing upon them a very thin sheet of light papercovering approximately the surface of the composite disk, which layer orsheet must however offer such va small resistance that it willimmediately be will allow the comproviding not ponents to come apartwhen the closure device is tampered with.

Other features of our inventionwill appear from the following detaileddescription.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig.inserted into the neck of a bottle, y

Fig. 2 represents a sectional view of the Cap. y

Fig. 3 is a plan vice, when covered parts together, Fig. 4 is anothermodification of the closure device.

view of the closure dewith a layer holding the 1 represents the improvedcap lwhen small holes are made in them transverse cuttings or slits 9may be made which entirely cut through the sector material and onlyleave a. small strip of material uninjured. (Figs. 2 and 3.) To alloweasier manipulation especially when inserting the disks into the bottlenecks and to prevent reassembling of parts that have fallen apart it ispreferable to apply a layer of varnish on the surface of the disk. Thiswill be sufficient to hold the disks together during the insertingoperation which, as well known is made by 'a kind of reciprocatingplunger or piston having approximately the same diameter as the bottleneck, the disks being fed to said Preferably manufacturing of the disktakes place by cutting first a circular disk out of wood pulp board andby afterwards 'cutting through said disk entirely by means of cutters ofthe desired shape. It is thus ensured that always the parts cut* fromthe disk are fitting closely and snugly together.

In actual use the surface of the disk or the layer upon said surfacewill be provided with a mark or with any other sign or device from whichit is immediately seen whether th'e seal put upon the .bottles in thedairy is uninjured. Prints upon the layer covering the disk will besufficient for this purpose.

We do not limit ourselves to the examples shown as many modificationsare possible without departing from the essence of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A bottle closure and safety device againstsurreptitious usecomprising a cap consisting of a number of separable components fittingsnugly and exactly at their edges and shaped so as to form a completecomposite closure disk when assembled.

2. A bottle closure device comprising a plunger, WhiCh 0n S dOWIlWaIdH10Vment\cap consisting of a number of separable comcarries them as awhole into the bottle neck where they are held together. As the plungeracts on the whole surface of the disk, the parts will not ,fall apartduring such operation if held against radial movement superficially.

Instead of employing a small layer of varnish valso a silk paper, tissuepaper or cambric paper or another very thin sheet of paper may be gluedupon the disks when assembled, which will cause sufficient adhesion ofthe parts in a radial direction to allow insertion but which will breakor will be torn as soon as it is tried to withdraw the seal from thebottle neck, or to apply any forceupon the plane'surface which willcause bending of the disk. Especially when it is tried to remove theclosure device the friction at the edges which must snugly lit into thebottle neck will cause bending or distortion of the disk which willimmediately lead to destruction of the layer or sheet or other bindingmeans between the components and thus will also destroy the unin juredappearance of the disk.

We wish it to be understood that the way in which the composite disk isdivided into several components is not limited.\by the example given, asit is of course possible to use severallforms which will equally wellanswer the requirements. A further example of the way in which the diskmay be divided is illustrated in Fig. 4 according to which the disk isdivided into a series of concentric annular parts holding together vattheir periphery and which may be subdivided into sections.

ponents fitting snugly and exactly at their edges and shaped so as toform a complete composite closure disk when assembled, the dividing cutsbetween said components running from the marginal edge in asubstantially radial direction toward the center of the disk.

v 3. A bottle' closure and safety device against surreptitious usecomprising a cap consisting of a number of separable components fittingsnugly andV exactly at their edges and shaped so as to form acompletecomposite closure disk when assembled, said componentsconsisting of a central body cut Dso as to have a number of radial armswith the cuts running in a substantially radial direction from themarginal edge toward the centerA and a number of sector shapedcomponents disposedJ to fill the spaces between. said arms.

4. A bottle closure device according t 1 claim 3 said sector shapedcomponents being provided with slits directed towards their marginaledges.

5. A bottle closure device comprising a number of separable componentdisks exactly fitting each other so as to form a com- ,20

posite disk when assembled, means capable of being attached to allcomponents for holding the parts slightly together in a radial directionbut adapted to be destroyed by any attempt to remove the closure fromthe bottle.

6. In a bottle closure and a safety device comprising a number ofseparable components exactly fitting each other so as to form acomposite disk when assembled, a common thin layer coveringsubstantially all the oompaper glued to all components and forming 10ponents for holding .the parts :slightly to.- a common cover for thecomponent disk. gether in a radial direction, but adapted to Intestimony whereof, We have `hereunto break at any attempt to remove theclosure set our hands. 5 from the bottle. J ULIUS ERHART.

, 7 A bottle closure device according to FRITZ LEMBERGER. claim 6, witha layer consistingof thin tissue ANTON

